‘My mindset during chases is simple’: Kohli gives Tamim a peek into his batting mantra

India captain Virat Kohli has shared his batting knowledge with his Bangladesh counterpart Tamim Iqbal in a video chat session.

The 31-year-old Indian laid out his approach to chases, temperament under pressure and drill routines to answer questions thrown by the newly appointed Tigers’ captain on Facebook live on Monday night.

Many believe that Kohli is the best run chaser in the history of ODIs. He boasts 26 centuries batting second ahead of the great Sachin Tendulkar who follows him with 17 hundreds during chases. Kohli averages 59 in ODIs overall, but the figure is 68 in run chases alone.

Among those 26 centuries, he took his team over the finishing line on 22 matches as his average while his team won by chasing is an astounding 96.

So, it seemed only natural for Tamim to be keen on getting a glimpse into the secret of Kohli’s mental state during chases. The master blaster also said he found Mushfiqur Rahim’s words from behind the wicket ‘encouraging’.

“My mental process is simple during chases. Actually Mushfiqur (and other wicketkeepers) sometimes help saying stuffs from behind the wicket, it actually encourages me,” Kohli said with a smile.

Gifted with the ability to score freely in all formats of the game,he has scored 70 international hundreds - 43 in ODIs and 27 in Tests - and more than 20,000 runs, averages more than 50 in all three formats.

The top-order batsman spoke of how he always enjoyed thinking about run chases.

“I say this to many people, especially while speaking to youngsters. I've to believe that I'm good enough. When I used to watch matches on TV as a child, India often lost during chases. After going to bed at night I felt that I could have won the match for them if I was there. It was actually a dream,” he said.

“When such a situation emerge now, I am driven by that urge. The feeling that I can win the match activates,” he said.

The right-handed batsman can often be seen taking positions very early in deliveries, while his bat comes down in a flash with supreme wristwork at play as his masterful techniques allow him to take dominant role on the pitch during chases.

And the belief that he is good enough to ‘pull it off’ adds to all this, making it enough for him to enjoy the challenge of a run chase, no matter how big a target is.

“Run chases are simple, you know the target and you know what you need to do to achieve that. There is nothing clearer than that in a game…This situation is never a pressure for me, I take it as an opportunity to win the match…that is the most important thing for the team and it also gives me the window to remain unbeaten.”

“There are many such instances but we must analyse a situation. The ability to analyse determines the quality of batting. For me it is instinctive.”

Tamim’s interviews with different players have become a regular show on social media during the coronavirus lockdown. He has already interviewed many of his team mates, including Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain and Nasir Hossain.

He also invited over fellow cricketers of other teams. Before this, he spoke to South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and Indian batsman Rohit Sharma.

Tamim’s next show will be held with Akram Khan, Minhajul Abedin and Khaled Masud while Pakistan legend Wasim Akram will be featured as the special guest.